big guns

I'm a big fan of Xenomorphs (Aliens) and Yautjas (Predators). What can I say, I'm a big geek. Still, I don't watch Star Wars.

During the flight from Changi to SFO, one of the movie selections was Predators. I love the first Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger (I'm actually a big fan of Schwarzenegger's, and probably I'm being a douchebag by saying that I still like his movies despite of his affair; I can't say the same thing about Mel Gibson, though) and Predator 2 is also one of my favorites in my limited repertoire of extraterrestrial gore movies.

However, as I'm watching Predators, I can't help but wonder why some people think it's a good sequel, like Aliens to Alien. Some people even went as far as saying that Predator 2 was shitty.

This entry won't be a review; it's going to be a rant (AND IT CONTAINS SPOILERS!).

Rant #1: The score. It doesn't mix with the scenes. I hear the influence of not only Predator and Predator 2 music scores, but also from the Alien Saga. Predators' score is grand and is meant for grandiose long and wide, impressive, dramatic shots - shots that aren't found in Predators.

Rant #2: Adrien Brody. He is boring, monotonous, and completely lacks the personality that Schwarzenegger or Danny Glover showed in Predator and Predator 2 respectively. I thought I almost killed myself from boredom whenever Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne steps onto the screen on Dark Knight, but Royce (Brody's character in Predators) made me an inch closer to actually committing suicide.

Rant #3: The cast. Oh geez. One of them is actually an SMC graduate. The dark, handsome one, with the unpronounceable name.

Rant #4: The pace of the movie. I know the need to build up the suspense by showing absolutely nothing on screen, but at the movie's rate, it was mind-numbing.

Rant #5: The f-word and the tough talk. They just aren't believable enough, just like the cast.

Rant #6: The writing. (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) One alpha-male and the only female came out as the survivors. Where's the twist in that? In Predator, everyone was equally strong and equally smart.

I found Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem completely unbearable (with all due respect to Milla Jovovich, I don't think Paul WS Anderson can either write or direct movies) and Alien vs. Predator was mildly tolerable.

Okay. Rant over. Now I can't believe that the nearest Boost Mobile shop is closed permanently. I think that means I have to go back to using MetroPCS. I hope I can get my number again.

a day around town

It always amazes me that by chance, I get to see Marvel movies. I sat through dastardly boring hours of Iron Man and Ghost Rider, cringed at Elektra's anticlimax ending, and decided to stop Daredevil DVD on the thirtieth minute. Marvel movies have that typical mind-blowing setting and effects but completely shallow story line with no character building. And the enemies are just too easy to defeat.

That is the case with Thor. Even with prime stars like Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgaard, Anthony Hopkins, and poor, poor Rene Ruso (her character is even less significant than Winona Ryder's in Star Trek), the movie sucked. It is an action movie, I know, but it is just... boring. Even the 3D effects didn't help. The only time my eyes were wide open was when Thor and one other guy showed some skin. Yum. But the guy who plays Thor looks like he'll do better modelling skimpy underwear.

However, I very much enjoyed my time with my friends here. The four of us, Leo & Gunwoo (two Korean guys), Wei Ni (Taiwanese girl), and I ventured out first to Cheesecake Factory to have a really late lunch. Then Leo drove us to a distant land called Daly City where we met Yoomin and his girlfriend Lorene (both Koreans) and John (Taiwanese) to watch Thor. It was already 9.30 PM when we got out of the theater and drove to a Korean restaurant called Coco Ban near the hostel for supper. I indulged, and I didn't mind, because I enjoyed being with them.

Honestly, I miss going out with my friends back in Jakarta. I miss driving at nights when the flickering colorful lights cover the ugliness of the city. I miss the blaringly loud music and the laughter and the ability of speaking in Indonesian, the way my Korean friends talked to each other and to the hunky waiter at Coco Ban. I miss having to count my money and not spending it easily.

Still, today has been very fruitful. I have friends to laugh with.

John sat next to me at Coco Ban. He just got back from the dentist, and in the USA, a trip to the dentist costs a fortune. So we talked a bit while he ate his rice cake soup and I my vegetarian fried noodle.

"When are you going back to Taiwan?"

"June. For a month. I am sort of avoiding to join the military," he answered.

"Even when you're going to undergraduate school here, you have to go join the military service?"

"Yes. Even if you're gone for more than ten years, when you go back, the government will ignore the fact that you've been gone, and you'll still have to be drafted."

"Will you go to war?" I asked with a rather nervous pitch.

"Possibly."

I looked at him, at his smooth, boyish skin and his hair the color of dyed copper. He wanted to cut his hair Korean style, he said, but didn't want Americans to go near it, so he let it grow long; his bangs were covering his eyes. He's only 18 years old, nearly a decade younger than I am. He has his life ahead of him. I cringed at the thought of war.

I know how wars change people. There are homeless people in the area where I live in San Francisco. One of our classmates made a research and he found out that a portion of the homeless people were Vietnam veterans who returned to the USA with damaged mental conditions. The US Government decided to cut back funding to mental institutions some years ago. When the asylums closed down, the patients couldn't find anywhere else to live but the streets. These were the people who fought for the USA. These were the veterans who had to kill to live and suffered because of the guilt.

Under the somewhat dim lights of the restaurant, I saw Leo sitting across the table. He had served in the military for two years, but he didn't have to go to war. He didn't have to lose much of his innocence in glorified violence. I glanced back at John who was slurping his soup. He could only eat soft food, at least for the time being, until his teeth recovered.

"When is your next appointment with the dentist?" I asked.

"Monday. I spent USD 1,800 today."

My eyes were wide open, shocked to hear the staggering amount of money he had to pay for one visit.

"This soup is just rice with water," he complained.

"Like porridge," I agreed.

"I eat like a homeless person."

"No, John, a homeless person can do better," I said, and he laughed so hard that I started giggling.

The wind blew with so much gusto that night that it almost threw me off balance as we walked back to Leo's car. Even with a full stomach, I could feel the bitter cold seeping under my skin and frosting my tropical bones. I wondered if those homeless people I saw sleeping on the streets covered with layers of cloths were warmer than I was.

I wondered if I were ever going to be homeless, wandering around with nowhere to go. No soil to root my feet in. No roof to cover my head with.

russell brand is funny? how?

I had the absolute misfortune of watching Arthur a while ago. The movie was not just uninspiring, nay, it was painful to watch. I cringed everytime Arthur Bach (Russell Brand's character) delivered a line, and he's the main actor (a.k.a the one with the most lines).

Arthur is a story of a grown man, an heir to a multibillion dollar company, who only rolled around, having orgies, giving free money (bailing out criminals, even), and occasionally riding in his Batmobile (yes).

Consider Arthur as a male version of Paris Hilton, with the same annoying voice.

I am too lazy to tell you the plot here, but Arthur needed to marry someone capable of running the Bach Corporation (since it's a family business). But this woman (played by Jennifer Garner), as beautiful as she is, could not even stay sober if he wants to keep his inheritance. In the end, even when Arthur had sobered up, he was still not tolerable. Consider Andrea Sachs from Devil Wears Prada (the movie) or that girl from Confessions of a Shoppaholic (also the movie): I felt sympathy at the end of those two movies. Arthur remains an obnoxious character until the end - not just because he was spoilt and all, but also because of Russell Brand's voice (and his hair. There are long-haired guys who look sexy, but Brand's hair makes me want to vomit).

Helen Mirren is, as usual, Helen Mirren (which means, "Meh"). Then again, even she couldn't stop Arthur from being a totally nauseating excuse of a movie that I saw for USD 9.

I had not anticipated that his voice would be that girlish. And yet he portrayed a straight, hypersexed, man. I mean, remember Ruby Rod from Luc Besson's Fifth Element? That guy even had ill fitting animal print and was just as hypersexed as Arthur Bach, but he fit in perfectly with the over-the-top aura of the movie. Milla Jovovich in bandage dress? If Gaultier weren't so big in fur and animal products, I'd love him more than I love Stella McCartney, but I digress. And Bruce Willis is just one of those men who become even sexier as they age. But again, I digress.

At almost the end of the movie, there was one child who asked Arthur Bach if he was a boy or a girl. That seemed so apt.

Then again, Russell Brand is married to Katy Perry, that I absolutely think lowly of.

red riding hood

I've read so many versions of the Little Red Riding Hood. My favorite is the one with the evil, sadistic, and manipulative Red Riding Hood, tricking the Woodsman that the Wolf was the bad one. In the end, it was the Wolf who actually tried to protect the Grandmother.

I like that version simply because I love animals and abhor children.

Additionally, I am also a sucker for werewolf movies. That being said, I didn't even have the heart to torture my senses by seeing any of those Twilight movies. I did watch Wolfman, though and thought it was brilliant. Then again, Emily Blunt can't do anything wrong.

So naturally, I was excited to see Red Riding Hood. I mean, Gary freakin' Oldman is in it. Virginia freakin' Madsen is in it. And then Amanda freakin' Seyfried is in it. I totally ignored all the bad critics bashing the movie.

I should've taken heed of the warning.

I sat through a grueling 1 hour and 46 minute acrid fest of sweet love. I mean, oh my God. I'm eating right now so I don't really think I can write a review about it.

Let's just say that Red Riding Hood had such a promising write-up. Maybe I was a wrong target audience. I should've realized that it was meant to be yet another tween-teen-romantic-witchcraft-magic movie. Like freakin' Twilight. (Oh God, I'm using "freakin'" repetitively. I'M TURNING INTO A TEENAGER!! MY BRAIN'S A MUSH!!)

Even the lead love interest of Amanda Seyfriend's character (Valerie, alias the Red Riding Hood) looks a lot like Robert Pattinson's rip off. He's all sparkly and dark (he's so sparkly and wears all black ensemble) and he's not even (SPOILER) a vampire nor a werewolf! Well, (MAJOR SPOILER) he becomes one in the end.

I really wonder why anyone actually produced this movie. Twilight Series have a cult-like fan base. You can't rip the market by putting up another lame product. I mean, at least make the guys look a lot different than the Twilight guys. I don't think it's going to attract non-Twilight fans either because those sane enough not to like Twilight should be sane enough not to like Red Riding Hood.

And I'd like to just say this: MY GOD, VALERIE, YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE A HOT GUY BECAUSE YOU'RE BETROTHED TO ANOTHER HOT GUY. MANY OF US AREN'T THAT LUCKY YOU KNOW SO STOP THE DRAMA.

I have to balance my brain by watching a completely difficult and brilliant movie. Like The King's Speech. Forget Rango. I need my long due dose of Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter.

spring break

Spring break is almost over. I didn't go to Las Vegas, nor to San Diego, nor to Los Angeles. I almost went to Seattle for Cues and Tattoos, but FCBD's class was full to the brim, so I'd rather stay at the hostel.

It's been raining on and off and today it's sunny.

I haven't blogged for ages but my Acer laptop just died all of a sudden (motherboard problem) and my Samsung R540 laptop arrived yesterday night. My head is filled with so many issues I have to write about, so I think I'll rant on.

No, I haven't been to the Golden Gate, the China Town, the Alcatraz, or even the Indonesian restaurant not 15 minutes away from the hostel with bus. I was simply enjoying the time off. The hostel is very quiet and internet connection is very fast. Then again, there have been big groups that are understandably very loud. And the French... Well, they're boisterous as ever.

However, I went shopping... ONLINE, that is. Amazon is good to people in the US of A, what with its Free Super Saver Shipping and their return policy (no wait, I think Amazon's return policy is also available for international customers, but I could be wrong).

I went shopping for stuff I didn't really need. What's amazing about Amazon is that it always has good bargain. The key is to know what you need, not what you want. And no, I'm not smacking my head as I'm writing this.

When my Acer laptop was still working, I made use of my lazy days going online, browsing for cute items. And I found this: a Pamela Love's Tribal Spike cuff (bronze, USD 645). And you know, many "fashion forward" bloggers reviewed it as completely original.

Umm... The same "Tribal Spike Cuff" has been owned by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance since ages ago and the magnificent design and work belong to the Kohistani tribe whose women wear the spike cuff as protection against stupid people. The spike cuff is also called Gokhru cuff, since it is designed after the Gokhru seeds and leaves. Here is the original and antique Gokhru cuff from TribalSouk.com (antique silver, USD 600).

Now, my .02 is that as far as I know, the Kohistani tribesmen still manufacture such cuffs and embellishments. And then there's some "fashion jewelry maker" who makes the almost exact replica but using bronze instead of antique silver, and selling the cuff for USD 45 more! Talk about rip off.

However, if you happen to be an exec at a cheap knock-off fashion manufacturer like Forever 21 and TopShop, you might want to sell this for USD 40. And so I ordered a pair of "Warrior Spike Cuff" along with two wicked costumey necklaces from TopShop.

Now that we've got that sorted out, I have to confess that I didn't really show a sense of solidarity with my friends in Indonesia. I went to see two movies (and I think I'm going to see three more and be broke at the end of the week. I really want to see Rango, King's Speech, and Red Riding Hood).

The first movie I saw was Battle: Los Angeles, starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and a bunch of hot marines *giggles*. Michelle Rodriguez was right when she said it was a cross between District 9 and umm... something else that I forgot. It was not Avatar in that it wasn't beautiful or scenic or anything (just ruins). It was a bit like War of the Worlds (the one with Tom Cruise), but not that jarring or gory. War of the Worlds also has its scenic moments. It is not as gory as District 9, but just as emotional although in a different way. I have to be honest here: I cried when watching Battle: LA. That scene where (SPOILER) Hector's father died was just so powerful. Hector's such a good kid actor.

Battle: LA has some inspiring moments and quotes, such as, "Marines never quit!" (I can totally use that level of discipline in my own bellydance regimen).

The second movie was Adjustment Bureau. I never really cared about Matt Damon, but I love Emily Blunt. Now this movie is amazing. I'm going to say that the plot can be cliche (you create your own future) and atheistic (even God will follow what you say if your will is strong enough), but its romance is strong, and one can learn so much about waiting and let Chance trigger a little catalyst. The rest, paired with our will, is what's going to define our future.

I have seven minutes to get dressed, walk five blocks to AMC Theatre and catch Red Riding Hood.

The question is, do I really want to?